Liquid level indicator



1945. F. GRAPES I LIQUID LEVEL INDICATOR Filed Feb. 28, 1944 I 4; w J; m 1/ f 2 f, 5

v faces inclosed-vessels.

, indicating the liquid level and r vessels handling this material. It i absolutely" means for the apparatus;

Patented Aug. 21, 1945 t UNITED" sT rEs PATENT v OFFICE Frank EQ nGrapes, Chicago, lll.,,assignor to Universal OillProducts Company, Chicago, 111., a

apparatus for indicating liquid levels of More specifically, this invention is concer ed with a means for indicating levels andinterfaces in vessels handling corrosive fluids, such as mix tures of hydrofluoric acids and' hydrocarbons of operating personnel; w r r Because of the natureorhydrofiuoric acid no entirely reliable means which is convenient; ac curate and safehas heretofore which present a potential danger to the safety necessary in theop'eration of plants handling these materials, for example; plants wherein been proposed for interface levels in the alkylation of hydrocarbons isgaccomplished with hydrogen fluoride catalyst; that spmemeans be provided for indicating accurately in the ar ous vessels the quantity of acid contained therein.

The present invention offers a reliable means for indicating liquid levels which offers a mini-f mum hazard to operating personnel; and! is e06 nomical in construction and maintenance. The apparatus has the advantage that the greatest accuracy and sensitivity occur's in the {direction of the uppermost and lowermost levelrariges' of the vesselunder exploration, r In order to more clearly point out the advan tages and features of this invention reference is and the following description thereof. 1

Figure .1 of the drawing is an 'elevatic'inal view shown princip'allyin section of a preferred form of the apparatus" which is the object of the invention. f Figure 2 is aview astakemfmm a planeindif cated by line 2-*--? in Figure land illustrates the operating lever and graduated'scale for indicating the position of the liquid level in the vessel.

made to the accompanying iagrammaitic drawing cated byline 3+3 i'nFigure 1. This figure illus-- trates the extended open ended conduitor probe for exploring the interior of the vessel.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken from the plane as indicated by line 4-4 in Figure l and illustrates one of the packing grease introducing Referring now to the drawing, numeral I denotes a substantially horizontally disposed rotatable conduit which projects through a nozzle provided in an opening in wall 2 of the vessel, said nozzle comprising the elements 3 to 1 now to be described. The vessel Wallis provided with a'padtype flanged member 3 to which complementary v Figure 3 is a view taken from the plane as indit jeorpora tionj;ofDelaware t ApplicationFebruary 23, 1944, Serial No'. 524,169 j t I 1 4 ((173 298) This invention relatesto an improvedforrnof flange :4 issecured not shown Ring type joint faoings are shown for member 3 and flange 4 but it is well within the scope of the invention to use other types of facingifthey areadequate for the service. To flange 4 is secured by welding or other suitable means projecting portion 5 through which is bored .a port for receiving conduit l-.

Extending inwardly from flange! and member 5 and secured thereto by welding is another projecting portion 6 which is provided atits inner endwith a bearing portion! for journaling therotatable conduit I. t I j I A Adjacent its outer end projecting portion 5 is provided with internal threads 8 which are adapt ed to receive threadedportion Swhich is secured by welding to conduit I L Itis preferable that these threaded portions be'accurate ly machined so that they closely engage each other and retain the sealing grease in its desired position within if the apparatus. Between port lllprovided. through members 5. and 6 and conduitfl it is preferable thatsomeclearancebe provided so that a considerable portion 'of sealing grease will at all times be positioned in the apparatus betweennthe inner and outer ends of the port. It is desirable that part H] be maintainedfilled with grease at all ti rnes in order .to safeguard against any possible leakage of hazardous materials from the vessel to the operating area adjacent the outer end of the port.

For packing the threaded portion of the an it is preferable that a heavy material b employed,

for example, when used in connection withives sels containing hydrofluoric acid a suitable pack-n ing is Merco-Nordstrom #914 stempacking. This packing may be introduced through connection I l which communicates with the threaded portion of the seal. This inlet connection is provided with ball check l2 and a removable screw l3 by means ofwhich pressurernay be exertedon the packing grease toforce it lthrouehoutthesealed zone. For packing port ID a less viscous grease may be used, such as Merco-Nords'trom lubricant #788-8. This lubricant is introduced through connection H! which is also provided with a ball check l5 and w a shutoff valve IS. The grease may be introduced by means of a grease gun through a suitable connector l'l. Valve [6 is provided primarily to positively isolate the system from the greaser when connecting and disconnecting grease gun and for maintaining a more complete shutoff thereby preventing the possibility of leakage through the seaL.

It is, of course, understood that the above specified greases are named for illustrative purposes only This screw alsoserves as apermanent plug.

as it is well within the scope of the invention to use any other suitable packing grease or lubri- I cants depending upon the type of service to which they are to be subjected.

The innerend of conduit l is sealed by plu weld I8 or other suitable means and is provided at a spaced distance from this end with a flangelike member I9 which is securedthereto by welding or othcrsuitablenleans. FiaStene'di to1mem-- ber 19 byrneans of bolts 20 is a member 2| to which is secured an extended conduit 22. 20 prevent member 2| from twisting out of posi- Bolts angularly projecting conduit communicating at one end with said rotatable conduit and at the other end with the interior of said vessel, opening and closing means for the end of said rotatable conduit which is exterior to said vessel, sealing means provided in said port comprising a grease packing between the outer wall of said rotatable conduit and the wall of saidport, .qnd means indicatin'g-i the, angular disillaceinen'tiofi said rotat-r able conduit; said port and said rota-table conduit 7 being provided with complementary threaded tion. Conduit 22 is open atits extremeend-and communicates at its other end through port 23 in member 2| with conduit I. Member zl is m'ade o'f such proportions that it counterba lances the-f weight of conduit 22 to eliminate torque from conduit I and facilitate the rotation of the probe;

A suitable gasket 24 is provided between members I9 and 2| and the opposite side of member 21, is sealed by means ofiaisuitable.gasketlii. and. nut. 26whichrengages .the threadedlportionr 21 oil conduit lw c 1 .l v. a; 5 ,j

operating liandlelfilicarryinglp ihiir is.

securedv'toconduitgl. through', m ember flby, weld,-

ing or other suitable means. Q A, curved, graduated-scale. 3'0, whichiisisl pnorted by and secured toimember 5' by means oflweb. 31.. ,is.usedi in, con,- junction with pointer. 29. to; indicate the, angular positionof conduit 22vwithin the. 'v,e-ssel.. r 'lfoprevent excessive rotation-i of the, apparatus, limit stops 32 are provided; I

Opening. and;closing means are provided. for theouter end of. the. conduit. comprising a plug. cockl33, for tighttshutpfi and; a needleval've 3.4

for throttling control; c

ln using 'the' apparatusitiis only necessary to rotate; conduit Iv by 'means, ofiihandle ZiiJand; at.

selected stage-s throughout this'riotation-to open I valves 33 andl3ll. and determinethe tyneioimateerialj..which. issues from the. outere'nd. of conduit, I

I When. the. exploration is completed itvis, desirable thatlpluglcockl 33 .be. movedto a. closed position to prevent the possibility of hazardousmaterials issuing fro'm the openend ofjthe, conduit at some.

unexpected instant when; the. operator. is; unpr'epared. H i.

By. maintainingftlle, seal. filleiL with. suitable. grease. at alltimes this apparatus. provide accurate indications of the liquid level oriinterf'ace within, a vesseh containing. hazardous, material with a.,minimunr of danger. tooperating. p er;

sonnel.v M

Iclaim as my'inyentioni 15A. liquid level indicating conjunctionwithfavessel; which comprises? in combination a, nozzle provided in. a. wall of. said. vesselQfsaidnozzle being providedewithc a port, a.

' substantially horizontally disposed-rotatablecon.- dllit pqsitioned,insaidv port, said; conduitprojecting through said wall being closed at its end within said vessel and carrying oni said end an device for use in.

portions at that end of said port which is exterior torsaid :vesseL- 2, The apparatus defined in claim 1- further '?"charactefized in that said port is co-extensive for asubstaritiah tance with said rotatable conduit. 31 A liquid'level indicating device for use in t' 'iconjunctiornwitlna: closed vessel which comprises in combination a nozzle provided in a wall of said vessel, said nozzle being provided with a port, a substantially; horizontallya disposed: rotatable conduit positioned. inysaidper-t, said port and conduit being co-extensive for a substantial-distance,said

condnit- -extending frorn =withi'n'i saidvessel: to; a point exterion thereof; said. conduit. being closed at; its endrwithin saidye-sseh and; provided; with a closing I and opening; means at its end exterior to; saidvessel, a -secondeconduitz secured to and communicating with that rend: of; Said? first mentionedconduit which-;.is. within; said vesselrsaid second conduit; proieclfinge angularlw away from the axisor rotationeofxsaidfirst; conduit andcomemunicating at its outen end with the: interior? of said-vessel, said portand'first mentionediconduit being provided with. complementary threaded portions adj acent1;that end: 01?. said; port which: is

exterion to; said, vessel,- inletrnreans; for introduce ing greasepackingtasaidithreaded portions; inlet 1 meansfor introducing asecond grease packing to.

the ibalanc e of, saigdgport ewhich; is cor-extensive with; saidt'first,mentionedconduit; and: means 'attached ,to-i arr. exterior portion; ,ofi said; first, men;- tioned' conduit for indicatingthe; angular dis-- placement of sai disecond conduit-r: v i r 4?. In combination ailiquidr level indicating de vice fona-vessel, said device'comprising anozzle provided-ina-wallrof; thervessel andha-ving aport extending therethroughg, a: substantially horizontalirotatableconduitdisposed in said port. and extending into the interior of said: vessel, said cone duit having; adjacent the end.- thereof within the vessel an angularly projecting: portion communicating withtheuinteriorof theyesseland with the horizontal portion" oh the conduit; means for: ree taining sealin grease ini said. port comprising;

complementary threaded portions on said: conduit? c and nozzle exterior to: the vessel, opening-"and closing-means forathe rotatable conduit exterion tq thavessel, and'means forindicatingthe angu v lar displacementgof sai dLrotatabIe conduit.

f EL GRAPES;- 

